Batch of Galaxy Note 2s Stolen from Malaysian Airport

Some 1,400 Galaxy Note 2 smartphones by Samsung Electronics disappeared from a cargo depot at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia on Oct. 20, the company said Sunday. The batch, which was worth W1.16 billion (US$1=W1,097), was to be put on store shelves across the Southeast Asian country.

Samsung said the local police are investigating the case, but the odds of retrieving the stolen loot are considered slim.

Samsung Electronics also had two of its latest OLED TVs stolen in Germany in August. The company sent 55 of the TVs to the IFA 2012 trade show in Berlin for display purposes but two went missing in transit.

It immediately reported the loss to the local police but the case has not yet been solved. Many in the industry suspect the theft was aimed at leaking Samsung's technology to rivals as the product had not yet been released on the market at the time.

However, the latest incident appears more clear-cut as the Galaxy Note 2 handsets can be resold for profit. Some say it reflects the growing popularity of the Samsung brand, given the numerous cases of Apple's iPhones that have gone missing around the world.